if every drop of rain fell
to cancel out each tear
then let every petal tell
who'll love not or have you near

see epic scene rhymes
note seamless-fit crimes
history ever repeated
inner resolve depleted
raiment marred by grime
stripped of every last dime

dumbing down is the new smart
if you wanna get ahead best start
too many roses are no longer red
and violets are welts of our cred
but with all things photoshopped
all blemishes are airbrushed and
any rough edges can be cropped

dare we click that
marketplace button
unleash excitement
of various polarities
live and breathe all of
changeabilities now
tomorrow has its
newness lined up

talk sick mask
you'll in it bleed
in turn all miss
originally strung
together speaks
well of ill-formed
blossoms in make-
shift flower beds
and never mindful
of implements or
their wielders' hands

bromeliad smiles
upturned to open sky
eucalyptus parasols
hover above ruddy soil
hydrangea waltzes
welcome lorikeet
ladies and gents, while
currawong sentinels
flit from branch to branch

tears on yon rosy cheek
make bravest men, meek

each issue of nagging jaw
swing of a mortal claw

round tables of legend
always beyond reach

and wet dog hair never
fails to make you sneeze

specified number
syllabicated wonder
naturally sweet

580 may be a random number
meaning less to you than
to the keeper of our data
yet to one who easily bruises
beneath its title every line
reveals secrets of a greater plan

a brave new world
many, many woed
each click and turn
makes senses burn
perhaps tomorrow
and its fresh hands
will restore a glow
from faraway lands

no sun to be found
all that's been familiar
now mixed around
find it quite peculiar
reinventing of us
matters we don't even discuss

blister packs of pills
are morning routine
prescription refills
savage bank account
endless consult bills
mortgage of prime
emotional real estate

when biting autumnal breeze

sweeps past these craggy rocks

its howling whispers - seducing;

sparing no thought of mercy --

blinking lights on distant shore

pontooned my heaving heart

across dark "brewding" waters,

astride bland but porous sky

billowy clouds float aimlessly by

staring down these last few
scoops of laundry powder
and pouring out from these
last few caps of softener
looking back a couple of
months when it was tough
deciding to unseal these
products in case word
came from that latest job
prospect now seems suspect
-- guess that new box of
detergent will be opened
next wash and a trip to
obtain fabric conditioner
is all there is left of this
agenda of personal improv!

bright dandelion's demise
creates global demand for
app letting us attend inter-
ment via livestream feed
in such inconsolate times
this shall fill all our need

when it's been so long
now being woken up
from protracted stupor
and glance at a mirror
only to be let down, again

a mirror reflects
as light conveys
words transport
worlds entire as
audiences reflect
reviews convey as
transported worlds
shuttle words are
woven over again

these words flow
fluid as cheap wine
crisply coloured as
any branded vintage

easy on worn pockets
dulls minds equally;
after several goblets
it all tastes the same

as for roses and petals
they may vary in look
none any prettier and
always smell the same

when they can't tell
you from a soap bar
yet expect you to be
their defining relationship
that's when you know
you're in a messy affair

bursting forth on any
given typical day, we
delve into mysteries
of bath bomb bubbles;
while here in a corner,
ever-vigilant keeper
of ember-like ghostlight,
sentinel of our night,
scribe of thought and
companion of heart:
connects green room
to footlit centre stage

why are you so easy
to walk past
but then so difficult
to forget?--

a cattle brand that
sears each waking moment;
scathe dreams of night:
what memory tarries

are rumpled bed-
clothes at sun up
and scribbled sheets
sojourn inconsolate
on a litter-strewn desk

there's nothing quite
as deafening as quiet
static screams & rage
of a wall flower freshly
plucked from a corner:
petals strewn on a
windy corridor that
leads to preset ruin;
here, even perfume
is stripped of fragrance

virtual stalkerimg
digital door knockers
GPS triangulation
information strangulation
clicks and pings
cookies and keystrokes
emails and SMSes
unsolicited  annoyances  
frequent locations
mild traffic and fastest routes
we're more than one minute slower
in our knickers all twisted and hot
they've definitely got our number, and
most assuredly our days are numbered

no experience is quite as sobering
and equally devastating as when
it clicks that your happy place is
in fact not happy at all but delusion;
it's galloping into the sunset on an
overcast and sloshing, muddy day

you can hear it, those claps of thunder
though you've chosen not to take cover
here we are and here you are, momentarily
tomorrow this sunburnt land whistles merrily
so stay awhile and take it all in;
appreciate our kookaburras grin

there is a face, open as a book
in an instant allows you a look
neither clouded or jaded or strained
whether befuddled or blamed or shamed

there is a face that freely smiles
immediately dissolves these guiles
perhaps it's perfect light or angle
maybe breeze and breath that mingle

but there is your face that looks to mine
that neither word nor song dare define
and yes, your face will accompany me
however near or far as seasons decree